In this episode of the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast Terry White shows you how to Get Started with the Adobe Creative Cloud – 10 Things Beginners Want To Know How To Do. Sign up, download your apps, access your cloud storage, sync, share and review files and more…

This video also completes my “How To Get Started with Adobe Creative Cloud For Designers and Photographers” See the rest of the videos here:

Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?

See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:

I’ve been using Panasonic IP webcams for years to keep an eye on things at home and at my studio. However, Panasonic has gotten out of this business and therefore it was time to look at newer cams to recommend to people that ask. I was intrigued by the Dropcam HD and finally got a chance to try one out. Dropcam HD is a 720p HD WiFi enabled video monitoring camera. It also broadcasts sound. Unlike the Panasonic cameras, Dropcam is both a hardware solution and service. During the setup process you configure a Dropcam.com account along with setting up the hardware. You have a choice of a “free” live viewing only account or a paid Plus or Pro account that not only allows you to view your Dropcam live, but also see either 7 or 30 days of recorded video respectively. The idea is that if you’re using it as a security camera that you’re not going to be watching it 24 hours a day. Therefore Dropcam will automatically record and keep the last 7 or 30 days of video so that you can review it if need. However, even with the Free account you can setup motion detection that can alert you that something is moving in front of your camera so that you can tune in immediately and watch.

The initial setup

The initial setup couldn’t have been easier. Dropcam HD comes with a stand/mount, 10 foot long USB cable and USB power adapter. You plug the Dropcam HD into your Mac or PC initially and it mounts on your desktop as a volume containing the setup utility. No need to even download anything. During the setup you join the Dropcam HD to your existing WiFi network including password protected ones. You also setup your account on Dropcam.com during this process. Once you’ve got it setup, unplug it from your computer and place it where you want to monitor (indoor use only) and plug it into a AC wall plug. Once the camera powers up and connects to your network the setup completes. The mount can be either used on a desk, bookcase, etc. or you can wall/ceiling mount it. It even comes with the screws and anchors. Also the camera can easily be removed from the mount. It just pops in and out. Also the indicator light can be disabled for more discretion.

Image quality

I was really impressed with the image quality. Definitely much better than the standard def/low def Panasonic cameras I’ve been using. You can watch the image in a Flash enabled web browser on your Mac or PC or you can download their mobile App and watch the stream live on your iOS or Android devices. See my review of the iPhone/iPad App here.

Works in the dark too

Unfortunately the room you’re monitoring may not always have the lights on especially if you’re not home. I was happy to see that Dropcam HD uses infrared technology to show you what’s going on even in the dark. It automatically switches to night vision when the lights go off and off again when the lights come back on.

The Bottom Line

Dropcam HD is a very well thought out process and the company doesn’t rely on any other company or software to make their solution work. This is a good thing as many other solutions lack things like mobile apps or online recording. The image quality is exceptional and exceeded my expectations. You can setup multiple Dropcam HD units. You can do two way audio and it has digital zoom. While this hardware/service solution works as advertised there are a couple of things that would make it better. First off there’s no way to rotate/swivel the Dropcam. It’s a fixed camera and therefore can only cover the range that the built-in lens covers. With that said, the lens covers up to 107° field of view, so this may not be an issue for most. The next thing is that while it comes with a USB power adapter, it’s unnecessarily wide and you may have an issue plugging it in to an multiple plug outlet next to another plug. There’s no reason why it couldn’t be skinnier. The only other thing you might consider is that Dropcam uses about 60GB of bandwidth a month. Depending upon your ISP/plan this may be an issue. Comcast for example thinks anything over 300gb a month is excessive! As you can see I can’t find a whole lot wrong with Dropcam HD. I’m impressed and will look to replace my older Panasonic units with Dropcam HDs.

Shot taken with the pop up flash on my Nikon D600 complete with a harsh shadow off the lens hood.

Usually the only time I pop up the flash on my DSLR is to use it as a Commander to control and fire my off camera Nikon Speedlight. If you ever see me using it to light a subject you can almost bet that it was an emergency, there was no other choice and I’m hating life in that moment. There are two ways to combat the horrific effects of on camera flash. Either bounce it or diffuse it. When it comes to my speedlights I’m a “diffuse it” kinda guy. However, for the tiny popup flash built-in to most cameras, the options to diffuse them are less. This is probably why you never (or hardly ever) see pros using the pop-up flashes on their cameras. Heck, my Nikon D4 doesn’t even have one. They probably figured if you’re a D4 customer, you know better.

Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop Products Aim to Make your On Camera Flash Suck Less

Nikon D600 Body with the Lightscoop Deluxe Attached

I reviewed their original Lightscoop way back in 2007. While it’s a great product, I rarely carried it because although it was small, it was still an odd shape that took up space in my bag and there just weren’t gonna be too many times that I’d be using it. Now they offer a Lightscoop Deluxe.

I’ve seen and read many books on digital photography. I’ve learned a lot about lighting, posing, setups, etc., but the one thing that I hadn’t seen before was a book that was all about lenses. “The Lens: A Practical Guide for the Creative Photographer” goes into great detail to answer the question “which lens should I buy?” Although I’m pretty set on the lenses I want/use on a day to day basis, that doesn’t mean that I always know which lens is the best to use for every situation. I go through trial and error sometimes. This book rocks when it comes to giving examples on not only which lenses to use in certain situations that may be obvious to some of the pros out there, but it gives examples of uses for lenses that you may not have thought about. I’m also guilty of using the same lenses for the same stuff that worked last time. This book gives me a refreshing look at what’s possible with the glass that I’ve invested in.

Whether you’re a pro photographer or you’re about to buy your first good lens, I recommend you take a look at “The Lens” by NK Guy. It’s available in print as well as Kindle format, which means that even though I enjoy the printed version I’ll be adding the Kindle version to my iPad to always have with me.

Hey guys! You can catch me LIVE at the Adobe Create Now World Tour Event in San Francisco tomorrow evening (Thursday, 2/7/13) at 4:00 PM PST til 8:30 PM PST. I’ll be covering the latest and greatest Adobe innovations and updates for our design products.

Can’t make it to San Fran? Then join me Friday for my LIVE online event: Ask a Pro – Creative Cloud for Photographers

I’ll be showing photographers how they can take advantage of advances in Photoshop and Lightroom as well as new workflows brought to us by the Adobe Creative Cloud.

Learn about the new features in Adobe Photoshop for Adobe Creative Cloud members. Terry will demo Creative Cloud workflows showing how you can take projects created in Photoshop or other CS apps and publish websites using Adobe Muse or iPad apps using DPS SE.

Where is the Create Now World Tour Coming to a City Near You?

As a frequent traveler I’m always looking for ways to charge my multiple devices with fewer chargers or taking up less outlets in a hotel room. I saw an ad for PlugBug and decided to order one and see if I liked it or not. The idea behind PlugBug is that it replaces the standard plug of your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air Adapter with one that has a USB (2.1 Amp) port built-in. This way you can charge both your laptop AND any USB power device at the same time. The concept is simple and it takes all of 2 seconds to install. I opted for the PlugBug World, which comes with all the necessary adapters to plug into various outlets around the globe. It works as advertised and although it’s “short” on the 85w MacBook Pro adapter, it doesn’t hender its use.

How could it be better?

The 1st thing that I wasn’t crazy about was that it replaces the “extended cord” on the MacBook Pro adapter. I know that you can simply plug the adapter into the wall with or without a PlugBug, but I prefer using the optional extended cord that comes with the MacBooks so that I don’t take up so much space on a power strip and I get a longer cord.

That’s a personal thing with me, but the product works as advertised. Although I CAN use the extended cord, it’s clear by the way it sticks up over the PlugBug that they didn’t design it to be used this way. While we’re at it, I’d also like to see TWO USB ports instead of just one. It would make it much more useful to me if I could use one plug to charge my MacBook, iPhone and iPad at the same time. So make it a little taller to accomodate the extended cord AND a second USB port and I’d “love” it.

In this episode of the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast Terry White shows you how to Get Started with Adobe Illustrator CS6 – 10 Things Beginners Want To Know How To Do.

Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?

See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:

Last year I toured many countries around the world showing Adobe Creative Suite and Creative Cloud. However, many of my brothers and sisters here in the U.S. asked “When are you going to do some local events?” Well your wish has come true. I’m about to kick off the Adobe Create Now Tour with my colleagues Jason Levine, Rufus Deuchler and Paul Trani. While we won’t always be together on these stops we will be hitting several U.S. cities in the next couple of months. Here’s where I will be and when:

Notes:Adobe CreateNow roadshow to bring a little CS goodness to the New York InDesign User Group. As our sole (or soul) presenter of the evening, Terry will captivate you with presentations showcasing Adobe Muse (web design without yucky coding), recent updates to Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and the latest skinny from high atop the Creative Cloud.

As usual, we’ll conclude the meeting with another mega-raffle of goodies, including a copy of InDesign CS6. So forget staying home and snuggling with your St. Bernard, this is THE meeting you can’t afford to miss. Here’s the agenda:

6:00p Doors open, meet and greet
6:30p Meeting begins and opening announcements
6:45p Terry White, part 1
7:30p Buy more raffle tickets
7:45p Terry White, part 2
8:30p Rafflemania
8:45p Meeting end
Due to temporary problems with the IDUG website, there will be NO pre-registration for this event. Attendance is on a first come, first served basis. The Auditorium at NYIT seats a maximum of 180, so plan to come early for best seats. Doors open at 6pm. We expect to fill all seats because of the popularity of our guest speaker, Terry White.

In this episode of the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast Terry White shows how to Get Started Designing Websites with Adobe Muse – The 10 Things Beginners Want To Know How To Do. See a complete workflow from start to finish.

Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?

See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:

In 2007 when the iPhone was introduced, I remember many of my colleagues and pundits saying things like “I just wish it had a stylus”. Of course Steve Jobs back then made fun of phones that required a stylus. Fast forward six years later and you definitely see people using most cellphones with their finger and NOT with styluses. Although I do use my finger with my iPhone and iPad there are times where a stylus is just better. The ones that come to mind are signing my signature and drawing/handwriting notes. My signature and handwriting are bad enough. I don’t need them to look any worse because I’m using my finger. I’ve been a fan of Wacom products for many years and felt that their Bamboo Stylus Solo was definitely one of the best! They’ve now added a couple more choices to the product line up.

The Bamboo Duo Stylus + Pen and the Bamboo Pocket Expandable Stylus

My favorite now is the New Bamboo Duo Stylus. Here you get two devices in one. You get a great stylus for your touch screens on one end and on the other end you get a regular ballpoint pen. GREAT! Fantastic and certainly the one that’s now always in my pocket. It also comes in different colors.

The next one is cool, just not my 1st choice. The Bamboo Pocket Stylus is actually retractable. Push it together or pull it to expand and you get a full sized stylus. It also has a cap that’d designed to plug-in to the headphone jack on your port as a way to carry it. I definitely couldn’t see doing this on my iPhone, but I could potentially see doing this with an iPad. I’d actually rather see a case that has a slot for a stylus. While it doesn’t come in different colors it does ship with silver, blue and red rings that you use to add a spice of color.

The Bottom Line

There is no requirement to use a stylus with your smartphone or tablet. However, if you frustrated at times with the performance of your finger then you should probably invest in one. The Wacom Bamboo Styluses have a great feel to them both in hand on on screen.

You can get the Bamboo Duo Stylus + Pen here and the Bamboo Pocket Expandable Stylus here.